SanDisk Intros ‘Textbook’ Flash Drive

Sunnyvale, Calif. — SanDisk is seeking to replace the shoulder crunching burden of school textbooks with a new USB flash drive with special content protection software for downloading and saving copyrighted material.

The drive will initially sell through Staples in September in a single capacity (256MB) for a suggested retail price of $39.99.

The drive ships with a lanyard cap and a key ring cap for securing the drive to backpacks and key chains.

The first time a Cruzer Freedom drive is plugged into an Internet-connected PC, the device is initialized and can access the SanDisk Online Catalog of novels, textbooks and study aids.

The company is offering several free titles including Merriam-Webster's Pocket Dictionary, a choice of one SparkNotesStudy Guide and classic literature. Students may also download a free 30-day trial of Microsoft Student Graphing Calculator software, specialized Web content such as HomeworkHub from Scholastic.com, and Web pages and learning modules created by educators. Content for sale includes textbooks and best-selling novels.